Editor's Note

The Wait

The older I get, the more I find myself getting nervous with air travel. It's senseless, I know; the oddsmakers tell me that I stand a 1-in-11 million chance of dying in a plane crash. Meanwhile, I have a 1-in-32 chance of winning something in the Idaho Lottery. Am I seized with anticipation every time I buy a scratch ticket? No. Do I catch myself white-knuckling the armrest on takeoff? Yes. It's called vivid information and it makes perfect sense: We all know the odds of dying in a car accident are 1-in-5,000, but they don't televise every car wreck like they do air crashes. The more vivid the image, the larger it looms in our minds.

I was thinking about vivid information the other day, idling on Capitol Boulevard behind a lane of cars waiting to make a right turn onto Myrtle Street. It has never taken me more than 10 minutes to drive from my house on the Bench to BWHQ, on Sixth and Broad streets--not even when the bike lane pilot project started in May and "my" lane was appropriated for cyclists. That said, it looks more congested, but despite appearances, the length of my commute hasn't changed at all. And that's not just me. According to the Ada County Highway District, the bike lanes that so many think have snarled downtown traffic have actually had little to no impact on the speed with which motorists navigate the core. For more on Boise Weekly's afternoon watching the watchers at ACHD's traffic management center, see Page 13.

And speaking of waiting around, you'd better stop it if you plan on submitting work to BW's annual Black-and-White Photo Contest. The contest is open until Friday, June 6, at 5 p.m. Bring in your black-and-white or monochrome photographic work, measuring at least eight inches in one dimension and mounted on white 16-inch by 20-inch poster board, foam core or mat board. Prizes will be given to entrants in three categories: People, Place and Things. The winner will be published on the cover of the June 25 edition of BW, which will also feature other top-ranked pieces. Include your name, category, phone number and address on the back of each entry. There is no limit to the number of submissions per person, but each entry costs $5 (goes toward prize money). Drop off work at BWHQ, 523 Broad St. in Boise. Questions? Contact production@boiseweekly.com.

And finally, a congratulations to frequent freelancer Jessica Murri, who joins BW as a full-time staff writer this week.